The idea of the ‘fun’ office is already well and truly here – perhaps made most famous by the minds behind Google’s office spaces. But not everyone is on board with offices full of bean bags and ping pong tables. So, is there any merit to an office space full of fun or is this all just a phase?
What makes an office fun?
This is a question that would likely elicit a different answer from every person on the street. Everyone works in different ways and everyone has fun in different ways! That’s the idea behind most of these flexible, fun workplaces however – rather than plonking a foosball table in the middle of the office, it’s more about noticing the patterns of employees and finding ways for them to have freedom in the way that they work, who they work with and what they work on. It’s about injecting fun wherever possible, so naturally, it will look different for every work place.
Design has a lot to do with making an office an enjoyable place to be
When you think of the brands that have successfully gained a reputation for their ‘fun’, it’s likely that you think of the way they’re designed. The Youtube Headquarters in San Bruno have a three lane slide to help employees get down to the second floor in style, along with napping pods and mini golf. Deloitte’s Amsterdam office has an empty room on each floor that employees are encouraged to fill with furniture/games and other items of their choosing.
Lego’s offices in London and Singapore don’t have a traditional setup either – no one has their own desks, instead choosing where they will work each day based on their activity or their mood. This means that certain areas are designed for quiet work while others are designed so that collaboration and socialising are easier. There is traditional seating or comfy seating and plenty of space for everyone to share.
Fun offices open up possibilities and productivity
It all sounds fanciful but it’s important to consider what all these fun features are really doing for the organisations that implement them. There’s no use having a room full of bean bags or napping pods just for the sake of it – they all have to serve a purpose. The two most obvious impacts of a fun office are:
- When an office is equal parts fun and work, employees get more satisfaction out of their work and the freedom that they’re given during the day. No one wants work to really feel like work and that’s the idea behind these kinds of offices. When employees like their work and who they’re working with, they’ll keep coming back. It’s an easy way to foster employee loyalty in addition to productivity. Simply make the time at work enjoyable and flexible.
- Having fun breaks down barriers and opens up lines of communication. It’s hard to imagine anyone feeling as though they can’t approach someone from a different department after they’ve seen each them shoot down a slide to get from one level to the next. Perhaps a slide is a little far-fetched for your office space but getting everyone involved in activities or providing spaces for different departments to easily collaborate with each other is a sure-fire way to start creating comfortable, open communication between all employees.
Workplaces are already becoming flexible, fun is just the next step. It looks different for every organisation, so how can you inject life into your workspace and start getting the best out of your employees?
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